EU Commission plans: energy system of the future and clean hydrogen

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EU Commission plans: energy system of the future and clean hydrogen-energy

To become climate-neutral by 2050, Europe must redesign its energy system, which accounts for the whopping 75 percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions. The EU strategies just submitted to the integration of the energy system and hydrogen should pave the way to more efficient and more crosslinked energy sector, which is directed by two goals – a cleaner planet and a stronger economy.

With the two strategies, a new investment agenda for clean energy is presented in accordance with the commissioned package “Next Generation EU” and the European Green Deal. The planned investments also have the potential to boost the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis. They create jobs in Europe and strengthen leadership and competitiveness in strategic economic sectors, which are critical to the resilience of Europe, the EU Commission in a recent communication.

“Since 75 percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions go back to energy, we need a paradigm shift to achieve our goals for 2030 and 2050. The EU energy system needs to be better integrated and more flexible and be able to use the cleanest and cost-effective solutions. Hydrogen will play a key role, as decreasing prices for renewable energies and continuous innovations make it a viable solution for a climate-neutral economy.”- Kadri Samson, EU Commissioner responsible for the Energy area

The EU Strategy for the Integration of the Energy System forms the framework for the energy transition. With the current model in which the energy consumption in traffic, in the industry, in the gas and building sector takes place in “silos” with separate value chains, regulations, infrastructure, planning and operation, climate neutrality can not be achieved in a cost-effective manner by 2050. The changing costs of innovative solutions must reflect themselves in the manner in which we operate our energy system. New connections between the sectors must be created and the technological progress can be used.

Integration of the energy system means that the system is planned and operated as a whole, combining different energy sources, infrastructures and consumption sectors,. This networked and flexible system will be more efficient and reduce the costs for society. This means, for example, a system in which the electricity with which the vehicles are powered in Europe comes from the solar panels on our roofs, while our buildings are heated with heat from a nearby factory and the factory is operated with clean hydrogen in turn, was generated with offshore wind energy.

This strategy rests on the following three pillars:

  • First, a more “circular-oriented” energy system whose central component is energy efficiency. The strategy shows concrete measures for the practical application of the principle of “energy efficiency in the first place” and for the more effective use of local energy sources in our buildings or communities. Significant potential provide reuse of waste heat from industrial plants, data centers or other sources as well as energy production from biowaste or sewage treatment plants. The “renovation wave” will be an important part of these reforms.
  • Second, a stronger direct electrification of the final consumption sectors. Since the proportion of renewable energies in the electricity sector is highest, we should use current electricity as possible, for example for heat pumps in buildings, electric cars in traffic or electric furnaces in certain industries. A network of one million charging stations for electric cars is included in addition to the expansion of solar and wind power to the visible results.
  • For the sectors in which an electrification is difficult, – thirdly – in the strategy the use of cleaner fuels, Z. B. of renewable hydrogen, sustainable biofuels and biogas proposed. The Commission will propose a new classification and certification system for renewable and CO2-poor fuels.

The strategy lists 38 measures for creating a more integrated energy system. These include the revision of existing legislation, financial support, research and use of new technologies and digital tools, guidelines for the Member States on tax measures and the expiry of subsidies for fossil fuels, a reform of market control and infrastructure planning as well as better information for consumers. The analysis of existing obstacles in these areas will be included in our concrete proposals, Z. B. in the revision of the TEN-E regulation by the end of 2020 or the revision of the Energy Control Directive and the legal framework for the gas market in 2021.

Hydrogen strategy

In an integrated energy system, hydrogen can support the decarbonization of industry, traffic, power generation and buildings throughout Europe. The EU Hydrogen strategy deals with how this potential can be exhausted by investment, regulation, creation of markets as well as research and innovation.

Hydrogen can supply energy sectors that are not suitable for electrification, and save the energy to compensate for variable energy flow from renewable energy sources, but this can only be achieved by EU-level actions of public and private sectors. The primary objective is the development of renewable hydrogen, which is generated mainly with the help of wind and solar energy. Short and medium term, however, other forms of CO2-poor hydrogen is needed to rapidly reduce emissions and to support the development of a sustainable market.

This gradual transition requires a stepwise approach:

  • From 2020 to 2024, in the EU, we will support the installation of for the generation of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers with an electrolyption of at least 6 gigawatts and the generation of up to 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen.
  • From 2025 to 2030, hydrogen must become a substantial component of our integrated energy system by installing in the EU for the production of renewable hydrogen specific electrolytics with an electrolyption of at least 40 gigawatts and generated up to 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen.
  • From 2030 to 2050, the renewable hydrogen technologies should be mature and used on a large scale in all sectors in which the decarbonization is difficult.

In order to support the implementation of this strategy, the Commission has launched the European Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, to the leading representative of the industry, civil society, ministers of the national and regional level and the European Investment Bank. Allianz will build an investment pipeline for expanding production and promote demand for clean hydrogen in the EU.

In order to promote targeted the cleanest available technologies, the Commission will work towards the introduction of common norms, terminology and certification based on CO2 emissions during the lifecycle build on existing climate and energy legislation and EU taxonomy for Sustainable investment in harmony. The Commission will propose political and regulatory measures to ensure security for investors, to facilitate the use of hydrogen, to promote the necessary infrastructure and logistics, to adapt the instruments for infrastructure planning and promote investment, in particular by the construction plan “Next Generation EU “.

“The strategies will strengthen the European Green Deal and the green recovery and significantly present us the way to the decarbonization of our economy by 2050. The new hydrogen economy may be a growth engine which is to overcome the economic damage caused by COVID-19. For the development and introduction of a value chain for clean hydrogen, Europe will take over a pioneering role worldwide and maintain its leading position in the field of clean technologies.”- Frans Timmermans, for the Green Deal Executive Vice President

The European Green Deal is the EU’s new growth strategy, a timetable to make our economy more sustainable by converting the climate and environmental challenges in all policies in opportunities and the transition to all is fairly and inclusive. A more integrated energy system is crucial to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and at the same time creating jobs, to ensure a fair transition and strengthen the innovation activity in the EU as well as the leading role of industry on a global level. As in the Commission on 27. In accordance with the construction package “Next Generation EU” presented, the sector may provide an important contribution to Europe’s economic recovery from the Coronavirus crisis.

News energy system is technically and economically inefficient

Today’s energy system is still based on several vertical, parallel energy added chains, which rigidly connect certain energy resources and certain end-consumption sectors to each other, and thus a considerable amount of energy is wasted. For example, petroleum products in the transport sector and as starting materials for the industry take an outstanding position. For the generation of electricity and heat, predominantly coal and natural gas are used. Electricity and gas networks are planned and managed independently of each other. The market regulations are largely tailored to the respective sectors. This model separate silos is unsuitable for the realization of a climate-neutral economy. It is technically and economically inefficient and leads to significant losses in the form of waste heat and low energy efficiency.

A path to sector integration is the use of renewable hydrogen. This can be used as starting material, fuel or energy sources and storage with numerous applications in the industry, traffic, energy and building sector. Above all, however, his use causes no CO2 emissions and almost no air pollution. He thus offers a solution for the decarbonization of industrial procedures and economic sectors, in which a reduction in CO2 emissions is both urgently needed and difficult to achieve. Because of all this, hydrogen is crucial for achieving the EU’s obligation to become climate-neutral up to 2050, and for the global efforts to implement the Paris Agreement Agreement.

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4 thoughts on “EU Commission plans: energy system of the future and clean hydrogen”

  1. Nice Our Star Trek Society – the imagination are no limits. Extracted politicians in Brussels also have some employment. Unfortunately, the nonsense does not write himself, but waste for huge taxpayers.

    Reply

  2. Sounds in my opinion good to this strategy. Hopefully there will be a lot of reality.

    Incidentally, not only the topic of energy, even with the topic of raw materials, garbage / waste and recycling or. Meanwhile use of (waste) fabrics certainly still provide many improvement opportunities for more sustainability and environmental protection. Also an interesting research and development area..

    Reply

  3. Well, what should the EU states be made. Coal is dead and the economy is not working properly anymore. There is no more independent growth, only with stimulus programs and destructive crises.
    So the EU launches the largest economic stimulus program.

    Reply

  4. The hydrogen strategy is the risk of misunderstanding, or. negligent to intentional false presentation. The article describes the fields of application: stronger electrofecting makes sense in the areas of mobility and heat pumps. In areas that are difficult to electrify, make hydrogen or. Biogenic energy carrier sense. Let’s see how long it takes until these aspects are twisted?

    Reply

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